The Unnani-Tibb Medical System.

Quest article March 2008.

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The Unani-Tibb Medical System.

 Bismiallah Ir Rahman Ir Rahim.

 

Soon will We show them our signs in the furthest horizons, and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth…”

 

Is there a doctor in the house? I’ve always wanted to say that. But on a serious note, the issue of health and health care here and a abroad is a very serious issue. Some can afford the benefits of health care through the benefits of their insurance while others may not have the benefit. Yet, good physical health is a need that we all need to be able to deal with the issues of day to day routines. When thinking about topics related to Islamic Spirituality, proper physical health too almost certainly comes to mind as well. The Golden Age of Islamic history not only produced world renown poets and scholars, but also ground breakers in the area of Physicianship as well. Although it may be hard for some of us to grasp, many of the holistic practioners of medicine advocated preventative health care rather than circumstantial health care; which most of us are used to dealing with now when we feel sick. Islamicly, the Muslim physicians knew this and the importance of the Spirituality in relation to the body. The Unani-Tibb Medicine system led the way in the Islamic world and nearby regions with it’s concentration on the use of honey, nigella sativa (black seed), cupping, dhikr and regulation of the digestive track to help many feel better. Imagine that; Islamic Medicine. One of the front runners of the Unani-Tibb system of Islamic Medicine was Ibn Sina (Avicenna) who lived during the common era of 970-1037and who was responsible for writing ‘The Canon of Medicine’. Which many have regarded as the most famous book in the world related to medicine, past and present. One major reason why this medical system is so important was for one major reason: the Dynamic Elements of the body starts with the Ruh (Spirit Soul). On a physical level ,the practioners of the Unani-Tibb system started the system of restoring balance to the body, through the stomach. Thus Ramadan and Sunnah fasts were very important to keeping the body mind and the Spirit of the one seeking balance in functional condition. Now,.. before a rush is made to call Islamic Medicine a bidah it is important to see what the main foundations of the system were based on: regulation of food intake, use of halal herbs and incorporation of fasting on a regular basis, all of which can be validated in the life style and behavior of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) Often times people think of Spirituality as being separate from any physical purpose. However Islamic Spirituality and medicine go hand in hand. We are not only soul, but a body that houses the soul. Which speaks to the fact that since our physical body is a vehicle and a tool to take us to the next life, it requires the utmost care and responsibility. What is most interesting about the Unani-Tibb medical system is the only system that starts with the ‘Soul’ as the Dynamic Element. Where as the remaining three: Ayurveda, starts with ‘energy,’ Chinese starts with Chi; ’life energy’ and Western; which starts with the immune system. The healers of the Unani-Tibb medical system knew that without a purging and continuous check on the ’Soul’, physical healing could only go so far. And starting with the Soul is most in line with the Fitra (natural way) of Islamic thought and life practices. There have been many changes in the way we get better when we feel sick, or in the manner in which we see our Primary Care Physicians. And by all means, by Allah’s (s.w.t) means, many of them have done very, very, positive, helpful and beneficial things for helping people all over the world. My intention in discussing the Unani-Tibb system was to silence the critics of Islamic contributions of the “Civilized” world at large. Those who posed the stance that Islam, and Muslims where uneducated and unenlightened. As we see here, this could be nothing further from the truth.

 

Now this may sound like a boring introduction to a National Geographic segment on ancient medical herbal history but this aspect of Islamic history stands in direct contrast to the select few called historians who have argued that the religion of Islam never brought anything productive to the ‘civilized’ world. Knowing these parts of our history in relation to spirituality should give us hope and give us the possibility to think wide. Also, to see the bigger picture of how we as Muslims are the key not only to the worlds spiritual illnesses, but we also have a history that can regulate the worlds physical ailments as well.

As-Salaam Aliekum

 

 

~ by water transformed. on April 5, 2008.